Türkiye's first domestic sale of boron carbide will be made in June to two local companies operating in the defense industry, Yaşar Taşkın, the general manager of TRBOR, a boron carbide manufacturing company, told Anadolu Agency (AA) in an exclusive interview.

On March 19, the country became one of five in the world to produce boron carbide with the opening of the nation's first boron carbide manufacturing facility in Balıkesir, in the country's northwest.

Boron carbide is an extremely hard and durable chemical element used in tank armor, bulletproof vests, and numerous industrial applications.

It is produced in a heat-resistant furnace using boric oxide, also made from boron ore and petroleum coke.

Taşkın explained that two of the six product ranges of boron carbide will be used for armor production in the defense industry, the sale of which will be made to companies in this sector located in Ankara and Kayseri.

The other four products will be used for the manufacture of refractory materials in the steel industry, Taşkın said.

The company has also set its sights on markets further afield in Europe and the U.S., with contacts made for future trade.

About 3.3 billion tons of the world's 4 billion tons of boron reserves are in Türkiye, according to the general manager and chairperson of Eti Maden, Serkan Keleser.

Not only is Türkiye home to the majority of boron reserves, but it also has the highest-quality boron ore in the world, Keleser explained.

The market value of boron is about $2 billion, while the boron carbide market is worth approximately $60 billion.

'We have the ore, we have the boric acid, and now we are making boron carbide. We will also get our share of this market,' Keleser added.